I have written many articles about why preventing chronic migraines is a more logical and healthier option than a life-time of treating them with pain-killing OTC or prescription drugs.

Rebound headaches from over-using the pain-killing option are a known fact and the extra migraines caused by this over-use are now referred to a “Medication Over-Use Headaches (MOH).

So while I have written about natural options that have been clinically shown to prevent a percentage of migraines from occurring and also reduce the intensity of those migraines that do occur, according to a study just recently completed in Norway, there are lifestyle changes, that at least for teenagers (and I wouldn’t be surprised if they also worked for adults) can help to prevent migraines as well.

The study examined, interviewed and had nearly 6000 teenagers fill out lifestyle questionnaires.
Analysis of the data yielded some interesting, and perhaps, not surprising results:

• Smoking increased the risk of chronic headaches like migraines by 50%
• Being over-weight increased the risk by 40%
• Being physically inactive increased the risk by 20%

The authors found that as the presence of unhealthy lifestyle choices and factors increased, the risk to teenagers of chronic headaches increased substantially.

I would not be at all surprised that if the authors expanded this study to include adults………the findings would apply to them as well.

This study highlights the potential preventive benefits of life-style changes for teenage chronic migraine sufferers.

To your good health,

Curt Hendrix M.S. C.C.N. C.N.S.